Confused by the differences between publishing independently, through a small press or a large press? We get it! There are so many publishing opportunities for the modern book writer. Opportunity is great, but with so many options, how do you know how your work fits into the ever-changing publishing ecosystem? How and where can your readers best be found? This month-long series will offer insight from industry professionals, giving you an understanding of the range of options open to you as a writer, the pros and cons of each, and how best to connect with the right publisher for your work.
WEEK 1, May 3rd, 6-8pm, The Indie Author & Self-Publishing Path
Join Indie Author Raegan Teller, as she describes the ins and outs of self-publishing, the required entrepreneurial spirit and finding the right marketing strategy to fit your work and your personality.
WEEK 2, May 10th, 6-8pm, Hybrid Presses
Join Alexa Bigwarfe who runs Kat Biggie Press and Purple Butterfly Press, hybrid publishers of adult and children’s books, along with Kasie Whitener, who published her first two books with Alexa's traditional imprint, Chrysalis Press, as they discuss the differences between indie, hybrid and traditional publishers.
WEEK 3, May 17th, 6-8pm, Independent & University Presses
Join Hub City Press Director Meg Reid and Hub City author Anjali Enjeti to discuss bringing a book into the world from manuscript to marketplace, including the challenges and benefits of publishing through independent and university presses.
WEEK 4, May 24, 6-8pm, Large, Traditional Press
Join literary agent Amy Bishop and debut YA fiction author JC Peterson to discuss the process of obtaining an agent, prepping a book for submission to editors, figuring out the right editors to send to, the submissions process, getting the book out into the world, and all the challenges and joys in between when publishing with a large press.
GUEST SPEAKERS
PUBLISHER ALEXA BIGWARFE is a USA Today Best-Selling author and the founder and CEO of Write|Publish|Sell, a company dedicated to helping authors and small publishers professionally self-publish and market their books. Her courses and training focus on author platform growth and creative ways to market books, especially for those who know nothing about marketing. She is also founder and host of the Women in Publishing Summit and owns two hybrid publishing houses, Kat Biggie Press and Purple Butterfly Press. Learn more at writepublishsell.com. WEEK 2 GUEST
LITERARY AGENT AMY ELIZABETH BISHOP joined Dystel, Goderich & Bourret in 2015 after interning for them in 2014. At DG&B, she's cultivating a wide-ranging list in literary and upmarket fiction, expert-driven narrative nonfiction, and select YA, with a special interest in BIPOC voices. Her list includes titles such as The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim (a Reese's Book Club selection and NYT bestseller) and The Silence of Bones by June Hur (a Junior Library Guild selection and Edgar Award nominee). Before diving into the world of publishing, she graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a degree in Creative Writing. Though she grew up upstate, she currently resides in Woodside, Queens. You can find her on Twitter at @amylizbishop. WEEK 4 GUEST
AUTHOR ANJALI ENJETI is a former attorney, organizer, and journalist based near Atlanta. She is the author of Southbound: Essays on Identity, Inheritance, and Social Change, which the Washington Post called, "a nuanced and much-needed journey into exploring what it means to be American, and the novel, The Parted Earth, which the Star Tribune called, "a novel with the gravitas to transform." Her writing about politics, social justice, and books has appeared in The Oxford American, Harper’s BAZAAR, Poets & Writers, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Boston Globe, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of awards from the South Asian Journalists Association and the American Society of Journalists and Authors, two notable essays in Best American Essays, as well as residencies from the Hambidge Center, Sundress Academy of the Arts, and Wildacres. A former board member of the National BookCritics Circle, she teaches in the MFA program at Reinhardt University. WEEK 3 GUEST
AUTHOR JC PETERSON lives in Denver, Colorado, with her husband, two small sons, and one enormous tabby. She earned her degree in journalism from Michigan State University and worked as an award-winning journalist and editor at an alt-newsweekly before becoming a freelance writer and mom. When not dreaming up funny contemporary stories or herding children, she loves to eat and shop local, explore the Colorado mountains, and plan new adventures. Being Mary Bennet is her first novel, and you can find her at jcpetersonwrites.com. WEEK 4 GUEST
PUBLISHER MEG REID is the Director of Hub City Press in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where she finds and champions new and overlooked voices from the American South, including Carter Sickels, Drew Lanham, Ashley M. Jones, and Anjali Enjeti. An editor and book designer, her essays have appeared online in outlets like DIAGRAM, Oxford American, and The Rumpus. She holds an MFA in Nonfiction from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she served as Assistant Editor of the literary magazine, Ecotone, and worked for the literary imprint Lookout Books. She was a Publishers Weekly Star Watch 2021 Honoree.
In addition to her work at Hub City, she also works with independent and university presses across the country in a freelance capacity, providing both covers and interior typesetting. She also facilitates production and printing for individuals looking to self-publish or print books for a particular purpose. You can see samples of freelance work here and here. WEEK 3 GUEST
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